Manual Labor
by HeartsANDnaley
Summary: A series of 9 short stories all about our everyday hero, working class Nathan Scott, and the little lady in need of saving, Haley James.
1. Would You Like the Full Body Tuneup?

**A/N: Hi everyone! So I'm not nearly close to being done with Salvation is Here but I am almost done with Summer Checklist. I debated with myself whether I should start this story, well series of stories, now or if I should wait until I have done more with SiH. I figured I would post this now and try my hardest to multi-task. Anyways this new series I'm starting is basically short stories were the plots are completely unrelated except for the fact they all are Naley. I hope you guys like the idea. Remember each 'chapter' is a new story, so it isn't all connected. Enjoy!**

**Mechanic:**

**Would You Like the Full Body Tune-up?**

"Ahh . . . God just . . .c'mon! I promise if you start there will be many rub downs in your future. All nice and soapy and just… God!" Haley James let out a frustrated sigh and slid down in the seat of her un-starting Toyota, arms crossed and a petulant pout marring her pretty face. She had been on her way to the grocery store when she had seen a sign for an Old Meadow Road and decided to take the scenic route, through the grassy field, on the old dirt road. She had not been thinking about the 'what ifs?' What if she got a flat tire? What if it started to rain and she got stuck in the mud? What if her car broke down on the abandoned old road? She had quickly found out that not many people, and by that she really meant no one, drove along Old Meadow Road anymore. She was pretty much stuck. Her car wouldn't even start _after_ given the incentive of being washed more often.

Haley leaned back further in her seat and wracked her brain for a solution to her dilemma. She couldn't call her best friend Brooke, who was still finishing up final exams out at USC, her parents, who she came home to visit, were still cruising the U.S in their RV, and she knew absolutely no one else in the tiny town. Haley suddenly sprang up from her seat and leaned over the center console. She had been so busy worrying how she was going to fix this that she had forgotten about her cell phone. But at this point, it was he lifeline. She dug through her over sized purse, smiling when she clutched the small object. For a fleeting moment she worried that she might not even have service but let out a small '_thank you' _when she saw the 3 bars of service in the corner of her phones display. She might not have any available friends or family to rescue her but she did know the number for the operator. And an operator would give her the number for a tow truck.

* * *

"Hey Nate, call just came in man. There's a broken down car over on Meadow Road. I would take it but I got that corvette I'm driving out tonight and I need to get it finished." Tim, one of the other mechanics, rambled on. He was a nice kid and all but sometimes Nathan felt it was better if Tim just didn't speak.

Nathan nodded his head and waited for Tim to leave the room. Whoever was in that car would just have to wait for the Duke Blue Devils to beat the Carolina Tarheels. Nathan knew he could always catch the scores later on ESPN but this was Duke, his Alma matter. 2 years when he was a senior at Duke he had led them to a National championship. Now at 23 he was working as a mechanic with a blown out knee. When he had blown out his knee he had thought his life was over. At the time he had only been playing in the NBA for a year and even though he had succeeded in reaching his dream, he felt it had been cut short. But after he had gotten over his injury, he had joined his uncle Keith in the mechanic business.

The final buzzer sounded and Duke, as predicted had won 84-78. Nathan walked out of the backroom and over to one of the red '_Keith Scott Body Shop'_ tow trucks. In the truck he flipped down the sun visor and caught the keys as they fell out.

* * *

Haley leaned up against her car, wondering what could possibly be taking the tow truck so long. The town wasn't that big and the truck should have arrived by now. It was probably one of the great mysteries of life; like ten socks going into the dryer and only seven coming out. Or in high school why had the guys taken so long in the locker room before gym class? She had been waiting for nearly 45 minutes when a large red truck came barreling down the road, causing small clouds of dust to rise up around her.

Haley tapped her foot impatiently, glaring at the mechanics silhouette through the tinted windows. Haley didn't even know why a tow truck needed tinted windows. She was just about to go open the truck door herself when it suddenly swung outwards and two very large feet stepped out onto the ground.

"Take you long enough?" Haley's voice was bordering on rude but given the circumstances, she felt that the mechanic had it coming.

"I'm sorry ma'am. But I got here as soon as I could. We had a very busy day today." Not entirely the truth but Nathan figured it was close enough. And once the Duke game was over and he was actually in the truck, he did hurry.

"Whatever. Aren't you going to look at my… " Haley trailed off as she looked closely at the mechanic, the tall, dark haired, blue-eyed, ripped mechanic. Not to mention those hands and feet. He must be hu-

"Excuse me ma'am. But what were you saying before?" Nathan had noticed the pretty young woman trail off and watched as different expressions ran across her face.

"What? Oh right. The car is over here." Haley turned around slowly and took a calming breath as an attempt to lower her racing heart. She only hoped she wasn't blushing.

As Haley turned around Nathan felt his eyes about ready to bulge out of his head, not to mention other _things_ start to bulge as well. If he had thought she was pretty before he hadn't been prepared for the back view. Her long auburn hair fell to mid-back and a generous portion of her smooth skin was open to his viewing pleasure thanks to the white tank top she wore. His eyes traveled lower and he nearly swallowed his tongue. It just kept getting better. The low cut jeans she was wearing were tight in all the right places and her shapely legs looked like they were made to wrap around-

"Hello? Mr. Mechanic? Aren't you going to look at my car? Or tow it, or do something to it?"

Nathan nodded his head and sauntered over to the dusty, old Toyota. He stood by it for a moment before looking back over his shoulder.

"Can you pop the hood?"

"Yes, hold on a second."

Nathan watched her climb around in the front of the car, half in the car half out. He stared intently at her as she stretched her body further in the car, trying to pop the hood. Her tank top rode up slightly and his eyes were drawn to the half of her not in the car.

"I almost got it. Just one more second." Her voice was slightly muffled from the inside of the car and Nathan, busy staring at her, barely noticed she had spoken.

Nathan was openly staring at her now. Her perfect ass taunting him as she wiggled around in the car, contorting her body to find that button. He knew he needed to stop staring at her twist and turn but he couldn't. All he could see was her in different positions, putting her flexibility to use in all of them. When the hood popped up in front of him he had to jump backwards to avoid being hit in the face.

"I told you I would get it open. It just takes a long time sometimes. But I guess that's what I get for buying a car off of E-bay."

"You got your car off of E-bay?" He sounded surprised. One of the first things Keith had told him was to never buy a car off the Internet; you never knew what you would get.

"Well I had no choice. I was a starving college student, still am a starving college student. So for now my E-bay car is going to have to work."

"Where do you go to college at?"

"Out in Durham. I go to Duke."

"No kidding? That's where I went. I played basketball there. To be honest that's why I was late. There was a Duke and-"

"Carolina game on. Yeah I know. Oh and by the way it was an old game. It's not even basketball season."

Nathan shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Well. All I can say is go Blue Devils."

"Yeah, I'll bet. Anyways my name's Haley. Haley James." She stuck out a hand for him to shake and he couldn't help but smile when he noticed how small her hand was compared to his.

"I'm Nathan Scott."

"I know." She laughed quietly at his confused expression and went on to explain. " Your coveralls say Nathan. Then when you told me you used to play for Duke I put two and two together. Plus I was a freshman when you were a senior. And unless I was living under a rock, I knew who you were."

"So you're… 19 now?" Nathan made the calculations in his head and was surprised that she was only 19.

"Actually I just turned 20." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"When?" He didn't want to seem over eager by asking so many questions but he couldn't help himself. It was like word vomit.

"Today, actually. I made sure I drove home so I could spend the day with my parents but…" She let her eyes drift away from his as she quietly left her sentence unfinished.

"But what?" He noticed she was avoiding his eyes and he, better than anyone, knew that was a sure sign something was wrong. He had done it countless times growing up and could spot someone else doing it from a mile away.

"But they're not even here. I guess I just thought they would be, but ever since they bought and RV, the saying '_there's no place like home'_ rings false." Haley's smile was weak, not reaching her eyes and Nathan felt his heart wrench for her.

"C'mon. Cheer up Haley." He barely even knew her but all he wanted was for her to really smile.

"Thanks for trying Nathan but I'm fine. You want to know what will make me feel really fine? Hearing about one of your birthdays."

"Fine, but let me hook up your car to the truck. I won't be able to fix it our here." Haley's eyes followed him as he worked on attaching the car up to his truck. Concentration was etched on his face and his eyebrows were scrunched together. Her eyes continued their path lower, widening when she saw the way his coveralls stretched and pulled across the wide expanse of his back. Even through the fabric of the coveralls, she could clearly tell he still had an impressive muscular body. Despite him not playing basketball anymore.

"Okay all done. You ready?" Nathan's voice brought her eyes back to his face and she nodded. He followed her around to the passengers' side of the truck and waited until she was inside and settled before closing the door and walking around to his side. He climbed up into the truck and took the keys from the sun visor. He put the key in the ignition and turned the key. The motor started and Nathan and Haley drove out of the meadow.

* * *

"You're lying Nathan! What _really_ happened at your 8th birthday party?"

"Fine. My parents had some half-baked idea that I would want a magician at my party. Well, it was cool at first, I guess, but then it was time for everyone to come over and watch the show. I had already opened my presents and didn't want to let go of my new basketball. So I brought it with me. Apparently the damn magician had anger problems because when I paid more attention to my basketball than him, he made my basketball _disappear_. My dad turned purple 'cause he was so mad and then he punched the magician. After the magician left, my dad sent everyone home and I spent the next three hours shooting free throws. I was completely exhausted that night. Not to mention pissed because I didn't get any cake. I remember that night I was almost asleep when my mom came in. She had a piece of cake with a lit candle on it. She sang me Happy Birthday and let me blow out the candle."

Haley smiled as she watched him reminisce; he looked so peaceful. "That's a good memory, well, the last part of it is. Your mom sounds like a good person."

"She really is. I don't think I could of put up with my dad if she wasn't there."

Haley smiled at Nathan and reached for his hand not on the steering wheel. For a brief second Nathan took his eyes off the road, searching Haley's face. But the soft smile she gave him and the reassuring squeeze of her hand in his brought a smile to his own face. He refocused his gaze to the road again. Her hand in his; it just felt right.

The rest of the drive back to the garage was spent mostly in silence. Nathan focused intently on the roads, while Haley took in the scenery Tree Hill had to offer. She had only been to Tree Hill once before and this summer was the second. Her parents had insisted that she come to the new house in Tree Hill for her birthday instead spending the day alone in Durham. They had conveniently forgot to mention they would be a few days late in returning home from their RV trip. So now instead of being alone in Durham, she was alone in Tree Hill. Except with Nathan, she didn't feel so alone.

"So I don't know if you noticed but for the last 15 minutes or so, have been spent in silence. Honestly, it's getting kind of boring." Haley's voice seemed loud in the previously quiet truck.

Nathan chuckled slightly at her random bout of boredom." Well Haley, I hate to break it to you but we're in a truck. There isn't much we can do."

"Oh Nathan, don't be so naïve. There are tons of things we can do. Tons of games we can play. I know! We can play the _' would you rather'_ game. "

"Never heard of it. How do you play? If it's anything like '_I never'_ I refuse to play. That game brings back many, many bad memories. Half of them I'm surprised I even remember because as you know that game involves drinking, lots and lots of drinking." Nathan added a dramatic shudder at the end of his ramble and Haley laughed at how ridiculous he looked.

"You big baby! Scared of a little party game. And by the way, it's not like ' _I never.'_ So what you do is I'll ask you a question starting with would you rather and then you have two options to choose from. And you have to answer." She raised an eyebrow as if she was challenging him.

"Okay. Game on. You can go first."

"Game on. Lets see…would you rather watch porn with your parents or watch porn staring your parents?"

"Jesus Haley!" he sputtered out. " Not like _I never_ my ass. People probably downed alcohol willingly to forget they answered a question like that." Haley giggled at the disgusted look on his face. She could only imagine the retaliation he would have.

"Answer the question Nathan. Which would you rather do?"

"Neither of those sound too appealing but I'm going to choose the lesser of the two evils and go with watching porn with my parents."

"Good choice, because if you had chosen the other one it would just be creepy." She gave him a cheeky smile, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"I wouldn't be smiling if I were you Haley. It's my turn now. So, would you rather… orgasm once every ten years or once every ten seconds?" Nathan fought hard to stave off the smirk he felt coming on but when he looked over and saw her face slowly reddening, he couldn't hold back the smirk any longer. "Answer the question Haley. Which would you rather…have?"

"Nathan I am not answering that question. It's completely embarrassing. " Haley's face was bright red and her eyes avoided any contact with his.

"That's breaking the rules. Remember?"

"Nathan do not make me answer this. Please."

"C'mon Haley. If it makes you feel any better, I'll answer it too." Nathan was full out smirking and as hard as he tried, he couldn't stop.

"Thanks, but that really doesn't make me feel better."

Nathan took a long look at Haley who was fidgeting nervously in her seat, twirling the little gold ring on her pinky. He decided he wouldn't, couldn't make her answer.

"No I'll answer. It's just, have I mentioned how embarrassing this is? I am never playing this game again. But if I have to choose, I guess it would be the second one." Nathan hadn't thought it was possible for her to blush harder, but her cheeks flamed up darker than before.

"Hmm… every ten seconds? My kind of girl." Nathan turned to look at Haley, smirk full in place and winked one of his baby blue eyes at her.

* * *

"So I checked you car and it was just a dead battery. That isn't much of a problem." Half an hour earlier Nathan and Haley had pulled up at the body shop and right away Nathan had set to work in figuring out what was wrong with her car. When they had first arrived at the garage, the other mechanics in the shop had stopped what they had been doing and stared unabashedly at Haley. Even Keith had given Nathan a pat on the back. In return, Nathan threw out his best _I'm Nathan Scott, don't fuck with me_ look, and led Haley to her car.

"Really? That was easier than I expected. It's not going to cost much right?" Haley looked worried that the price would be too expensive and Nathan remembered that she was a 'starving college student'

"Oh it's not going to cost much at all. In fact I would say it's actually going to be free. But on one condition. Go out with me tonight. We can go see a movie and get something to eat."

Nathan held his breath as he waited for Haley's answer. He had gone out on a limb by asking her out and wasn't sure how he would react if she said no. The vibe she had been giving off made him think that maybe, just maybe, he had a shot with her. And he would be damned if he was going to let this opportunity pass him by.

"Can we get ice cream?"

"We can get anything you want."

"Even if I want sprinkles and gummy bears?"

"Yes. You can even get chocolate on your ice cream and whip cream too. Whatever you like." Nathan took a step closer to Haley in a teasing manner, and she took one step back. Almost predator like, he backed her up into the wall, placing one hand up by her head and the other intertwining their hands together. Haley raised her head, looking him in the eyes.

"Whatever I want? You sure about that? Well what would you say if I told you that I wanted a little bit of you with my ice cream?" her brown eyes sparkled mischievously up at him.

"Really? To be honest I'm not usually an ice cream fan but if we can get special toppings, bring it on. How about instead of you with my ice cream, I have my ice cream on you?" Nathan moved closer towards her, pressing his body up against his, successfully trapping her between him and the wall.

"That's do-able. But I think I'm going to need a little bit of a preview. So how about you come down here some." Her tongue came out to lick a path around her lips, drawing Nathan's stare from her eyes, to her mouth. Haley's free hand, trailed along his belt loops and up his strong chest until she was able to gently grab the back of his head; his dark hair was beneath her fingers.

"I'd say this is a pretty good preview. Much better than anything we could have seen at the movies."

"Definitely. Now why don't we get started on the main show?" Haley agreed with him and gently pushed against the back of his head, bringing his mouth closer to hers. She could almost feel his lips on hers, when she was met with resistance. She opened her eyes and let out a small breath. Nathan's blue eyes had darkened several shades and his lips were only centimeters from hers.

"Nathan!" Haley was getting frustrated and unconsciously, she started to pout.

Nathan smiled at Haley, his smile soft and boyish, unlike the confident smirk he usually wore. He leaned in those last few centimeters, felt Haley's warm breath against his lips and pressed his lips to hers, successfully removing any traces of her previous pout.

The kiss stated off slow, testing and tasting. The hand he had resting above her head softly cupped her cheek, brushing back and forth with his thumb. Haley let out quiet murmurs of contentment and pushed harder against his mouth. His tongue gently licked against her bottom lip and carefully pushed inside her slightly parted lips.

When their tongues touched for the first time, a jolt of electricity sparked between them and Haley let out a low moan from deep in her throat. This sent Nathan into action and with one arm, he lifted her up and set her back down on the hood of her car. The hand Haley had on the back of his head came down to the front of his chest, idly toying with the zipper of his coveralls. He placed one of his hands on her hip and untwined his fingers from hers. At the same time though, his head felt ready to explode from the lack of oxygen. But instead of detaching his mouth from her completely, he trailed kisses across her jaw line and down to the soft skin of her neck. He sucked a small patch of her skin into his mouth, determined to mark her as his.

With his newly freed hand he massage her upper thigh through her jeans and reveled in the breathless moans escaping her lips. Haley, caught up in the kiss, wrapped one leg around his waist, bringing the other leg up as well. In their new position she could clearly feel how aroused he was and couldn't help but pressing up against his hardened length. Nathan lat out a playful growl against her neck and before he had time to think, Haley had fallen backwards on the car, pulling Nathan down on top of her.

The hard metal of the car was rough beneath them but neither one noticed the cool metal they were lying on or the lack of privacy they currently had. Haley's hand on his chest had already made his head spin but when she unzipped the coveralls and her small hand stroked against his chest, he felt ready to explode.

"God Hales." Nathan's voice was husky and when she opened her eyes, the absolutely feral look in his eyes sent shivers throughout her entire body.

Her hand brushed against his nipple and as hot as Nathan had been to her before, the attraction levels went through the roof when she felt his nipple piercing. Her small hands went to either side of his shoulders and unable to control herself, she pushed down the material, leaving Nathan naked from the waist up. Nathan sat above her waiting for her next move. Nathan wasn't prepared for the sudden attack of frenzied kisses against his chest and let out a long moan.

"You like that?" Haley's voice was muffled against his chest but not enough for him to be unable to hear her.

"You know I do." Nathan's voice rumbled his chest as he spoke and Haley felt the vibration of it.

Haley returned to her task of marking his chest as hers and when she tentatively stuck her tongue out to run around his nipple and pull the little silver ring into her mouth, Nathan could have sworn he was in heaven.

"Haley, that feels so damn-"

"Hey Nate! Just wanted to- Oh shit!"

Nathan and Haley sprung apart at the intruder's voice, both nearly falling off of the car at the sudden interruption. Nathan looked over his shoulder to see his friend Tim staring wide eyed at Haley and him.

"Tim? Do you think you could…" he made a shooing motion with his hands and watched as Tim gave them one last look before scampering off.

Nathan slowly turned to look at Haley, afraid of what her reaction might be. He hoped she wasn't mad they had taken things so far, in public, after knowing each other for less than one day. When he turned to face her fully, ma was the farthest thing from her reaction. She sat stop the car, hair in disarray, lips red from his kisses and the mark he left earlier on her neck. She was smiling wide and giggling, not even attempting to stop her giggles.

"Well that was quite the experience, wasn't it?" Haley said after she had her giggles under control.

"I'll say. But not only was it quite the experience, it was hands down the hottest make out session I've ever had." He came closer to her again, and snaked his still bare arm around her waist.

"Me too." A soft smile graced her pretty features as she looked at Nathan.

"Well about that date tonight.' Nathan began." How about we skip the movie and take a walk along the docks instead?"

"That sounds perfect." She pressed a chaste kiss to his lips and pulled back smirking. "You know what I just remembered?"

"What?"

"Happy birthday to me." She giggled.

"Happy birthday indeed. And I even have a present for you."

"Really? Well what is it?"

"How would you like the special of the day, anytime you want it?"

"You have a special of the day?"

"Yes, and I'm giving it to you for free, whenever you want it."

"Don't be greedy Nathan. What is it?"

"It's the full body tune up. You know I am a good mechanic and would I be doing my job if I didn't make sure you were in perfect working order? "

"Go ahead Mr. Mechanic. Make sure everything is in working order." Haley leaned back against the hood of the car again, and giggled when Nathan leaned down too.

"Now I'm warning you, I am a very thorough mechanic."

"Well then that's perfect. Make sure you don't miss a thing."

"I won't. Now get ready for your full body inspection baby." Nathan grinned wolfishly at her.

"Bring it on."


	2. It's Getting Hot In Here

**AN- I know I am a terrible, terrible person for not updating in forever. I have no excuse since I mostly had this part done; I realized I was too lazy to finish it. But I hoped that maybe, just maybe, this will make it up to you all. So remember, the Nathan and Haley from the last part is not the Nathan and Haley in this installment. I hope you all like this and I will promise that I will attempt to finish this in a timely fashion. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the title of the chapter as it is a song by Nelly, which also means that I do not own the lyrics in the beginning, those also belong to Nelly. I do not own One Tree Hill either.**

**Fireman:**

**It's Getting Hot in Here**

_It's getting hot in here_

_So take off all your clothes._

_I am getting so hot,_

_I wanna take my clothes off._

* * *

The loud music blared from the large speakers, the bass thumping, reverberating throughout the smoky club. The place was packed with bodies grinding so tightly together leaving barely any room to move. In the back of the club there were dark, secluded booths, a false sense of privacy but clearly, the people using them were too occupied to care. Along the far right wall there was the bar, surrounded with the party goers for the night.

Nathan Scott stood at the bar, beer in one hand, the other in his jeans pocket. He stood stoically against the bar, his eyes searching the club. Ever since he was sixteen he had loved the night life, hell, he was the night life. But now, at twenty-five, he had outgrown the club scene. He hadn't even wanted to come tonight and he wouldn't have either, but it was one of his fellow firefighters, Geoff, twenty-first birthday. Nathan remembered when he had turned twenty-one, and it wasn't all it was played up to be. The appeal of drinking wasn't as strong now that he was legally allowed. But this clearly was not the case for Geoff; the appeal of alcohol was going and staying strong.

Nathan held back the disinterested and scornful glare as the umpteenth unknown woman walked by, sauntered by and stared unabashedly at him. He had long since grown out of the meaningless sex phase too. Not to say that he didn't enjoy sex, because he did. Sex was one of Nathan Scott's pastimes. He just felt that it should mean something now. And even though he was still young, he also felt that his relationships should mean something. He felt that he needed to start getting serious. But that was most certainly not going to happen in an overcrowded club.

"Nate, man! You have got to see this." Geoff came stumbling, slurring and loud. He was clearly enjoying his twenty first birthday.

"See what man?" Nathan held back a smirk. Geoff's eyes had been glazed over practically since they walked through the doors and Nathan knew from past experiences that tomorrow would not be fun for Geoff.

"These two chicks Nate! They went all Coyote Ugly or Sin City or some shit like that!" Geoff, in his drunken stupor, clumsily led Nathan over to the opposite side of the club where Nathan could tell he would not appreciate the swarm of bodies around him.

Nathan reluctantly followed Geoff, chuckling every so often when Geoff would trip over imaginary objects. He really hadn't listened when Geoff had been speaking earlier so he was clueless in what he had gotten himself into. As the two guys edged forward into the front of the crowd, loud cheering and clapping, no doubt from Geoff's party could be heard.

"Here it is man." Geoff looked up at the two girls, wild eyed and ready for a cold shower, apparent to everyone. It was almost as if Geoff had never seen two scantily clad, "friendly" girls before.

Nathan looked at the two girls. Both with over done blonde hair, big breasts and insane amount of makeup. They were the kinds of girls who frequented places like this. He shook his head at the immaturity and shallowness of bar dancing. When Geoff looked over at him, though, he put on a fake smile and gave Geoff a pat on the back. No need to ruin the boys' fun. Besides, he was done with this anyways.

* * *

The dark, empty streets of Tree Hill, North Carolina were illuminated slightly by the street lights placed every few blocks, it didn't help, though, that half of them were burnt out. The shadows fell more darkly than normal and created obscure shapes on the deserted buildings along the street. The stars and moon were bright, providing natural light and much like every other night in Tree Hill the air was cool and refreshing. The start of November was nearing and the leaves that had begun to fall from the trees lay scattered along the sidewalks and roads, crunching every time a step was made upon them.

Haley James dressed in faded jeans and her oldest brother's sweatshirt, walked down the empty sidewalk leading away from Karen's Café. Most people her age were out partying and getting drunk but Haley had opted for working an extra shift. She never knew when the extra money would come in handy. At twenty three years old she had already made a name for herself by writing for Tree Hills Local Newspaper and was financially stable. But Karen, the owner of the café, was like her second mother and she was always willing to spend time with her. Even if it meant picking up an extra shift. Haley had grown up as best friends with Karen's son Lucas and the amount of time she spent with them had made her a part of the small family. And anyways, hard work had always been more of her thing than partying. She walked to the end of the street and stood against the Tree Hill Public Transit sign that was underneath one of the rarely working streetlights. She may have been in a good place financially but living in Tree Hill gave her no reason to buy a car at the moment. Every amenity in Tree Hill was accessible by walking.

The dark street was suddenly illuminated by the fluorescent headlights of the bus. The bus came to a stop and the doors hissed as they swung outwards, allowing her to climb up the small set of stairs. She made her way down the middle aisle of the bus and sat tiredly into the first empty seat she spotted. The doors closed once again and the bus moved forward and continued its scheduled route.

Haley sat huddled against the window and looked out at the passing buildings. She couldn't remember the last time she had taken the time for herself and tonight was no exception. Helping people was a second nature to her and when Karen had called, completely swamped, there was no way that Haley could sit back and do nothing. But she promised herself, one of these days she would take the time for herself and catch up on her much needed sleep.

The bus slowed to a stop and most of the passengers on the bus stood up to get off, leaving only Haley and a few other late night travelers. There was only one more bus stop before her own and she was grateful. Working at the café all day had drained her energy and she hadn't realized how much of that energy she had lost until now.

Haley resumed her previous position of staring out the window and felt no reason to curb her eye roll when she saw a group of drunken men stumbling towards the local fire department. She let out a small scoff of disgust. Seeing this completely inappropriate display gave her all the more reason to be ever careful around fire. She wouldn't trust them to save her from a burning building considering they would ignite the flames more with the alcohol they had so clearly over consumed.

Haley took another look around the bus and realized that she was the only person left on the bus. When the bus slowed to a stop once more, she walked as quickly as her body would allow her and gave a polite smile to the weary driver before stepping off the steps and continuing on her way home.

As Haley finished her short walk from the bus stop to her apartment she heard loud, boisterous laughter and yelling and when she got closer she could conclude that these were the drunken firemen she had seen earlier. It was just her luck that she had to walk right by them. But maybe since they were involved in a civil service they would hold off on any immature remarks.

"_Yeah, right_," She thought. "_They're drunk_ _and in a group, the comments are definitely coming.__" _Haley quickened her pace, hoping and praying that they would leave her alone. She hoped they would just ignore her. But clearly tonight was not tonight.

"Damn! You know how hot you are? You're smoking! It's a good thing I'm a fireman. Otherwise you might be to hot to handle. Why don't you come over here and I'll help you put out that fire."

Haley ignored the men as well as she could but when one man grabbed her ass, taking the joke too far, she turned around, ready to make it very clear the jackass that he had crossed a line. But before she could even open her mouth, a deep voice beat her to it.

"Tim, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Nathan had left the bar earlier than the rest of the guys but instead of falling asleep he waited for the others to get back. He had almost been ready to go inside when he heard Tim yell out a terrible attempt at a pick-up line. Tim was such a loser sometimes, so his lame attempt didn't surprise Nathan. But Nathan had been momentarily stunned to see Tim reach out and grab some girls ass, stunned quickly turned to pissed.

"Get your god damn hands off of her!" Nathan was furious. He always knew that Tim was a bit slow and perverted but he didn't think that Tim would take it as far as sexually harassing someone. "You better explain yourself Tim."

"I didn't mean anything by it. I was just joking around, trying to have some fun." Tim had been trashed when he reached out and grabbed at the girl but as soon as he heard the rage in Nathan's voice, he felt himself instantly start to sober up.

"Well it wasn't funny Tim. You don't do shit like that Tim and if I ever hear you did something like that again I'll kick your ass." Nathan threw one last hard glare at Tim before turning and focusing on the small woman in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Nathan figured he might as well cut to the chase, no point in making excuses for Tim and pissing her off even more. "Tim is an idiot and I'm sorry about what he did."

"I'm fine, I think. But thanks for asking and for yelling at your…friend. I appreciate it." Haley smiled gratefully at him and he noticed just how pretty she was. As much of a girl he felt like while thinking it, he couldn't help but notice how brown her eyes were and he felt as if he could get lost in them. But he needed to snap out of this. She had just been harassed by his friend, no way was she up to being charmed.

"It wasn't really a big deal. But you're welcome. But I think you might have scared Tim more if you had yelled at him instead of me."

"Probably. I might be little but I can kick ass when I want to. I can get mean." She let out a small giggle, betraying her 'mean-ness' but looking damn cute while doing so.

"Do you live far from here? It might not be a good idea for you to walk home by yourself."

"My apartment isn't too far. Another two blocks or so. I'll be fine."

"I'm going to walk home with you. It might not be that far and it is Tree Hill but I'm not letting you go by yourself after what just happened." Nathan could see she was about to protest so he started talking again. "Come on, I know you don't want anything to happen and if I walk with you then nothing can happen."

Haley still looked hesitant; even if this guy had literally saved her ass there was no way she wanted him to know where she lived. She looked back at him once more and Nathan could see her resolve cracking.

"Look, it's not even so much about you as it is about me. You may not want someone to walk you home but I would feel better if I knew that you got home safely." Nathan knew he had her when she let out a long sigh. She looked up at him through her thick lashes and he saw the moment she gave in.

"Fine, but only because you are annoying me and the sooner I can get away from you the better." Haley smiled at him and he could see that was just joking. Haley had no reason not to trust this guy and plus, he was pretty cute…okay a lot cute.

The two walked slowly sown the sidewalk, side by side. Every so often their hands would brush against each others and as quickly as it came, they would pull apart and mumble their apologies.

"So where are you coming from this late?" They had been walking in silence save for the awkward apologies and as a last resort he asked the one question that would only make him seem like a stalker. He inwardly groaned at his own stupidity.

"I was working a late shift." Haley answered his question offering as little information as possible without coming off as rude. Normally she would have been more open but being groped by a drunken fireman could leave a person slightly suspicious. Nathan nodded his head, accepting her vague answer.

"Well, this is me." She pointed up at the moderately new apartment complex and smiled her tanks before actually voicing them. "Thanks for walking me home." Haley turned around, about to go inside when she suddenly turned to face him again. She stared at him for a long moment never breaking eye contact as she took a pen from her sweatshirt pocket. Haley reached for his hand and flipped it over, palm up and in her neat, straight handwriting wrote a series of numbers. He watched as she wrote and he guessed the numbers to be her telephone number. She capped the pen and put it back into her sweatshirt. Once again she turned to go inside and again turned to face him. It seemed as if she were making a habit about it.

"Haley, my name is Haley." She turned the doorknob to let herself into the main building and was almost inside when she heard a voice behind her.

"Nathan and you can be expecting my call."

* * *

Haley, her name was Haley…last name? Well he had no clue. But at least he had gotten her first name and what he hoped was her real phone number and not the 'Rejection Hotline.' That would be completely embarrassing.

After Nathan had walked back from Haley's apartment he had gone to his bunk at the fire department and tried as hard as he could to fall asleep. But he just couldn't He kept thinking about Haley and he didn't think he would stop thinking about her anytime soon.

Two blocks away from the fire department Haley was having the same trouble with sleep. All she could focus on was Nathan. He didn't have to walk her home but he cared enough to do so and he cared enough to want her to be safe. That one small act of chivalry had gained him major points with her. At least there was one good man left out there. Unlike her jerk of an ex who had found insulting her a constant source of amusement. But Haley didn't need to think about him. She switched her mind back to Nathan and without reason she smiled. As Haley finally felt the pulls of sleep, she drifted off thinking of when Nathan was going to call.

* * *

Nathan let out a breath, hands on his knees. He took a long drink from his water bottle and sat down on the cool concrete steps of the building. He had just finished his three mile run and earlier than usual due to the fact that he tossed and turned all night thinking of Haley. It was only seven thirty when he had given up on sleep and left for his run.

During his run he managed to convince himself that calling Haley would be a good idea. But somehow while he was running and his mind was wandering, he had found himself outside of Haley's apartment. Now as he sat on the front steps, he only hoped she wouldn't freak out when she saw him there.

Just as Nathan was getting ready to leave he heard footsteps coming down the inside stairs. He waited, breathing out a sigh of relief when Haley pushed through the wooden double doors. Her small frame struggled to swing the heavy door outwards and Nathan rushed forward to help her. Haley looked up from her battle with the door when she felt the weight decrease and smile up at him.

"Thanks Nathan, I really hate that…Nathan? What are you doing here?" Haley had known it was Nathan the moment she looked up but at first her mind did not make the connection."

Nathan looked at her for a second, judging her reaction and when he felt for sure that she did not think of him as a stalker, he answered. "Well, I am actually here to see you." Nathan gave her a charming smile, silently praising himself when a light blush rose on her cheeks.

"Well, you see me. So what's up?" As she spoke, Nathan took the opportunity to actually look at her. Her long wavy, golden hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her jeans were faded and the plain blue shirt she was wearing looked anything but fancy. But damn if she didn't pull it off well.

"I was running earlier and I thought I would stop by and see you." He smiled again and watched as she looked him over. He knew his hair wasn't crazy, since he had shaved his hair short not only two weeks ago but everything else was most likely a mess. He was sweaty and wearing old basketball practice gear. But maybe that kind of thing worked for her. She might be into the sweaty and athletic look.

"Well that is very thoughtful Nathan. But I was about to go to the grocery store. I guess you could come if you really wanted to." Haley shrugged her shoulders slightly and smiled a small smile. Normally Nathan would refuse to go to the store, but for Haley, Nathan was quickly learning he would do anything for her.

Nathan and Haley walked side by side down the sidewalks, much like last might except for now, every time their hands or arms would brush there were no mumbled apologies, just the sparks they could feel flying between them. Haley could feel the goosebumps break out on her skin every time Nathan would brush against her and Nathan was having a hard time trying to keep himself composed with Haley being so near to him.

Nathan was so preoccupied with controlling his body that he hadn't even noticed that they had reached the store. He followed swiftly behind Haley, watching intently as she bent forward to grab a shopping basket.

"You ready?" Haley turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised in a silent question.

Nathan shook his head, trying to clear his mind of any inappropriate ideas in his head and nodded his head to say that he was in fact ready to go inside. "Lead the way."

Nathan and Haley walked up and down the various aisles in the grocery store, Haley putting items into her basket and Nathan reaching the high up things that she requested.

"You know Nathan; this whole shopping together thing might work out pretty well. Normally, I make a fool of myself by climbing on things and jumping up and down, but you can just reach things without looking like you are having a fit of some sort. It is very handy."

"Well at least now I know why I was put on this earth. I know what my purpose is." Nathan teased.

"I know. One day of shopping with me and your fate has been decided. You will forever be my reacher of all things tall. "Not giving Nathan a chance to respond, she took off down the aisle. It wasn't until she reached the end of the aisle that she turned around to speak.

"Hurry up! The cereal I like isn't going to magically get lower!"

Nathan laughed lightly and once again followed Haley. But to Nathan following Haley wasn't a problem. Nathan would follow Haley anywhere.

"So that was fun, right?" Haley asked Nathan as they carried the brown grocery bags up the steps of the and into her apartment building. Haley awkwardly maneuvered herself so that she was able to unlock the door without having to set down the bags.

"Oh definitely. I mean who wouldn't want to carry a massive amount of bags for five blocks?" Nathan teased and took the bags from her hands after watching her position herself in a way that would be completely impossible to open the door in.

"Thanks. And it isn't a massive amount of bags. It's only a couple." Haley looked around at the bags they were holding and had to admit to herself that there were a lot of bags.

"Whatever you say Haley. I just have one question. How are you going to be able to eat all of this food? There is a lot of food, Haley, and you don't look like the type of person who is constantly stuffing their face."

"Actually, I do. If you put it in front of me, I will without a doubt, eat it. Sorry to ruin your fantasy buddy, but stick thin is not my idea of fun."

"Well good." Nathan smirked at her and Haley motioned with her hands to get him talking again. "Because stick thin is not my idea of fun either."

Haley looked back to were he was standing at the counter unpacking groceries, and smiled at him. It was very refreshing to find a guy who wasn't obsessed with stick thin blondes. It could just be very tiring. They unpacked the groceries in silence and methodically. Every thing Nathan pulled out from the bag, he would hand to Haley and she would put it away in its proper location. Minutes passed as the pair unpacked and it wasn't until Nathan had handed Haley the last item that they spoke again.

"So I guess I never asked you. What college do you go to? Or are you done with college?" Nathan asked Haley when they had left the kitchen to sit down in the living room that branched off of the kitchen.

"I finished college about a year and a half ago. I went to Michigan State but I'm twenty three now. What about you? I know you are a fireman but where did you go to college?" Haley asked curiously.

"I went to University of North Carolina, I played basketball there. I even graduated with a business degree and I planned on opening a sports agency." When Nathan spoke of his plans and what he had wanted to do, Haley could sense sadness in his voice that hadn't been there before.

"I don't want to be nosy or anything but if you had those career plans then why didn't you, you know, follow through?"

"My parents always had a dysfunctional relationship and it continued on for a long time." Haley didn't understand how his family made his decision to become a fireman but she listened patiently as he spoke. "I don't think I can remember one occasion in my house that didn't involve yelling and drinking and fighting. But I guess, growing up I thought it was normal, I thought that everyone had a family like that. When I got older though, I realized how screwed up my family really was and I didn't like it. I just wanted to be normal." Nathan's voice cracked with emotion as he spoke and Haley could see how hard this was for him.

"Nathan, you know you don't have to tell me all this if it hurts too much." Haley said gently, hoping that he wasn't forcing himself to talk about this for her sake.

"I know I don't have to, but I think I will feel better if I tell you." He tried to smile but it looked almost like a grimace. Haley smiled encouragingly at him, hoping to give him some strength to finish.

"I had just graduated from college and lately my parents had been getting along better. I thought things were finally looking up for me and maybe I would be normal yet. I should've known better. My parents would never be able to look past their own problems. They just didn't care about anything, except for pissing the other off." Nathan let out a bitter laugh and continued on. "But I had just graduated and I was going back home to visit and to talk about my business plans with my parents. When I got home everything seemed fine. I was wrong, way wrong. I was catching up and just hanging out with some old friends when my mom walks in dressed head to toe in black clothes but they weren't dress clothes. They were old sweatpants and that was just weird. So she comes in and she is emotionless, I tried to get her to talk but she was blank. Out of nowhere she starts saying how she did something terrible and she couldn't take it back. It was really creeping me out so I left and I went to visit my dad at his car dealership, I didn't really want to see him but I'm glad I went." Nathan took a second to compose himself and in the time of the short break Haley inched closer to him on the couch and took his hand in hers.

"Nathan, I really don't mind if you don't feel up to telling me this. I can see it in your eyes that it hurts you to relive it." Nathan tried to smile at Haley but like before he was unable to. He really wanted to though. He wanted her to know that he appreciated her patience and he wanted her to know that he was glad that she cared about him, that someone cared about him.

"It's okay Haley. Really, but if I don't start again I probably won't be able to finish it. And this is something that I need to do." Nathan watched Haley nod her head in a silent agreement and held on a little bit tighter to her hand placed gently in his. "I was driving to my dads' dealership and I wasn't really thinking about anything so when I saw flames shooting up from a building in the distance it didn't register in my mind that it was my dads' dealership. But when I realized what that building was I didn't have any other thought in my mind other than _I've got to save him._ I pulled into the parking lot and was out of my car before it even stopped. I assume someone saw the flames and called the fire department because I heard the sirens but I didn't even think to wait until they got there. I ran inside and all I could see was smoke and flames. It was hard to breathe but I knew I needed to get my dad outside. He was sitting at his desk, unconscious, and to this day I don't know how I was able to pick him up and get us both outside safely. When I cam running out the firemen were already there and some of them were starting to come inside. I passed out almost as soon as my dad was put on a stretcher but the last thing I remember hearing was my dad telling me that he was proud of me. He died, Haley, and my mom was the one who killed him."

Haley sat there speechless. She wanted to do something that would make him feel better but to be honest she had no clue what to say to him. She felt that sorry wasn't strong enough. But for lack of better words, she told him anyways.

"I know this doesn't even come close to comfort but I am sorry Nathan. I am truly sorry that something like this had to happen to a great guy like you." Nathan looked up from the spot on the carpet he had been staring at and when he looked into her eyes he could see that she was being sincere. The emotion in her brown eyes told him all he needed to know and despite her lack of confidence in her apology Nathan felt more than just comforted, he felt cared for.

"It helps, Haley. Don't doubt that, you just being here makes me feel better. But I guess you can see why I decided to become a fireman. I didn't want anyone else to lose someone they loved to a fire."

"It's a lot more courageous than what I do. You go out and save people from the fires; I'm the person who writes about saving people from fires." Haley said and watched as Nathan slowly recovered from the pain his memories had brought back.

"So you're a journalist? I think it fits you." Nathan could already feel himself cheering up and all the credit was due to Haley.

"How is that fitting? I don't see how you made the connection."

"It's easy. Journalists are ambitious. They go out to get the story and they don't stop until they get what they need. Even though I have only known you for two days, I can tell that you are ambitious. Plus I could totally see you wearing one of those skirt and suit jacket combinations. Yup, it would be tight and short and in my mind you definitely would be wearing some high heels and a low cut shirt underneath. It would be very sexy." Nathan smirked and winked at her as he described her 'work attire.' He could see her blushing and it made him smirk even more. He expected the blushing. However, he did not expect her to turn it around on him.

"Sexy huh? Well, I can only imagine what you would like in your firefighting suit. You would be all sweaty and most likely not wearing much under it. Very easy to get you out of." Haley watched as Nathans jaw dropped and she couldn't help herself. She imitated his self-assured smirk and wink and laughed at the shocked look on his face.

Nathan recovered from his shock quickly and the tables once again turned. "Oh, I'll show you sexy. Sexy is that little blushing thing you always do and the way you bite your lip when you get nervous, kind of like right now." Haley hadn't realized that she was biting her lip until Nathan had pointed it out and she quickly released her lip from her teeth. "Now Haley that just made it even worse. You see, now you have these little indentations and I have to stop myself from reaching over and helping them go away." Nathans voice had long since turned deep with lust and Haley had to stop herself from jumping him.

Haley could feel herself slowly losing control and if she didn't do something about it, and quick, she would not be able to stop herself if something happened. Nathan could see all of the thoughts running through her mind and he could see the battle she was having with herself. Nathan decided to help move along her decision.

"Give into it Haley. You know you want to." Nathan had moved closer to Haley on the couch and was close enough for Haley to feel his warm breath on her cheek. It was enough to send her over the edge. Haley turned quickly towards him, grabbed his face between her palms and pressed her lips to his.

Nathan was shocked at first, he didn't think she would actually give in but damn was he glad she did. The kiss was everything he imagined it would be. Haley's lips were soft and thanks to the lip gloss she had been wearing, they tasted like watermelon. He wasn't sure where to place his hands since he didn't want to push things too far, so he settled for placing one hand on her hip and the other gentle cradling her cheek, which really wasn't settling at all.

"You taste good." Nathan broke away from Haley's lips for air and instead of going back to kiss her he leaned them back so they were lying across the length of the couch. He looked into her eyes to make sure she was okay with this and when he could tell she was fine he lowered himself on top of her and went in for another kiss. This time the kiss was hot and wet and hurried. Because now they knew what it was like, the floodgates had been opened, and nothing was going to stop them.

Haley was feeling uncomfortably hot and before Nathan knew what was happening he was being flipped over and straddles by Haley. He looked up at her and watched as she bit on her bottom lip, a sure sign that she was nervous. He placed both of his hands on her hips and watched her eyes close slowly as the contact further warmed her skin. Haley placed her hands on the hem of her shirt, just above Nathans hands, and looked him straight in the eyes as she slowly lifted her t-shirt up and off of her body.

Haley nervously sat astride his hips as she waited for his reaction. By the look in his eyes she had nothing to worry about. Nathan, however, had to worry about never being able to breathe again. He knew that Haley was gorgeous but the sight of her with no top, lust filled eyes, and kiss swollen lips was enough to leave him breathless. As Haley waited for Nathan to say something she unconsciously wiggled against him and felt the immediate reaction stirring beneath her. A light blush colored her cheeks, which seemed to get Nathan moving again.

"God, you're beautiful Haley." Haley shrugged her shoulders embarrassedly and for the first time avoided his eye contact. Nathan noticed this. "Haley, look at me. You don't have to be embarrassed. Not with me." He soothingly rubbed a hand against her bare skin and was rewarded with a breathless moan from Haley. He felt all the blood in his body going south.

Without a second thought, Nathan pushed himself up to his elbows and placed feather light kisses along her collarbone, across her upper chest, and along the portions of her breasts being pushed upwards by the lacy white bra she was wearing.

"Nathan…" Haley wasn't sure what she was asking for but she knew that she needed more.

"What is it Haley. What do you need?" Nathan had to use everything in him to pull his lips away from her skin.

"I need more." Haley opened her eyes and reached for his hands that still rested lightly on her hips and brought them up to cup her and to show him how much more she really needed.

Nathan lay below her, cupping her chest and felt as if he had died and actually gone to heaven. This was one of the nest experiences in his life. Nathan slowly traced over the top of her breasts and watched as her eyes once again fluttered shut and her head rolled back in pleasure. He could feel her straining against the lace of the bra and thrust his jean clad hips up against hers. Nathan felt her grind down against him and he let out a deep moan of his own.

Nathan looked up at Haley's flushed face and chest and the moment and the image was forever imprinted in his mind. He couldn't believe that someone as beautiful and amazing as Haley was interested in him but she was and they were happy.

"What are you smiling about?" Haley looked down at Nathan and when she spoke her voice was deep and throaty, which if possible, had Nathan smiling bigger.

"You. I'm smiling about how amazing you are." From where Nathan lay he pushed upwards and placed a gentle kiss to the pulse point on her neck.

"Well you're pretty amazing too, Mr. Hot Stuff."

"Mr. Hot Stuff, huh?"

"Yeah, it seemed fitting with you being a firefighter and everything." Haley absentmindedly played with the collar of Nathans t-shirt and smiled lightly at him.

"You know, that kind of reminds me of that one song, especially when you started taking your clothes off." Nathan smirked at Haley and started to sing off-key.

_"It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes. I am-"_

"Oh my god! Nathan, stop singing! You are terrible at that." Haley's hand was still playing with his collar and he quickly reached up to grab it.

"Well I'm much better at other things." He added suggestively.

"Really?" Haley coyly asked as she raised an eyebrow at him. "How 'bout you show me."

Nathan took one long glance at her and realized he was done playing the passive role. He quickly rolled them over and pinned her to the couch. "It would be my pleasure. Now prepare yourself, it is about to get hot in here."

"I'm counting on it." Haley winked playfully at him and let out loud giggles when he dove down and began sucking lightly on small patches of skin on her neck.

After Haley's giggles had subsided she wove her fingers through Nathan's hair and pulled gently to raise his head. He looked up at her questioningly and waited for her to say something.

"Nathan, _it's_ _getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes._"


	3. You Can Turn Me On Anyway You Like

**AN: Here is the third installment in the series. It is once again, Nathan and Haley in everyday situations. I would also like to say sorry for not updating this is a while but good news for you all…I have already started writing the next installment. A lot of the next one is done too. Anyways, you all know the drill; the Nathan and Haley in this installment are not the Nathan and Haley from the previous two. I hope you all like this installment. Read, Review, Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill.**

**Cable Guy**

**You Can Turn me on Anyway you Like.**

"Hales, your TV went all snowy again. It's like watching a damn blizzard!" Brooke Davis yelled, her voice reverberating throughout the small, one bedroom apartment. From her place on the sofa, she turned to try and catch a glimpse into the kitchen and gain her friends attention.

There was a pause for a moment before Haley answered. "Brooke, are you sure you just didn't sit on the remote control? You do remember what happened last time, don't you?" Haley James walked through the yellow painted doorway from the kitchen and into the living room where her best friend sat. She had a large bowl of popcorn in one hand and two bottled waters in the other. She walked further into 

the room and set the water and popcorn on the worn coffee table in front of her before sitting down on the hand-me-down couch next to Brooke.

"Yes I remember what happened Hales. Besides from the imprint of a remote control on my ass-"

"Which serves you right for walking around _my _apartment in a thong. But continue Brooke." Haley flashed Brooke a cheeky grin before reaching into the popcorn bowl in front of her.

In return, Brooke mock-glared at Haley and was met with a still smiling Haley. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted Hales. Not only did I have an imprint of a remote control on my ass, I also ended up switching the TV mode. And before you ask, Haley," Brooke pushed out when she saw Haley beginning to talk, "I did not sit on the remote. I don't even have the remote. It's over on top of the TV and I was too lazy to get up and get it."

Haley looked over at the TV and sure enough, the remote control sat perched atop the TV, and through the static on the screen Haley could see a documentary on Bumblebees flashing across the screen. For a moment Haley thought to question Brooke about the program on TV but decided not to, figuring it was a _Brooke Thing._"Well, maybe it's just the station. I'm sure it isn't a serious problem." Haley stood up from the couch and walked the short distance to the television.



"Hales, I hate to burst your bubble but I don't think that the TV is going to be fixed tonight. You're probably going to have to call in someone to fix it." Brooke lounged back against the throw pillows on the couch, popcorn bowl resting on her stomach, occasionally picking pieces of popcorn from the bowl, throwing them in the air and attempting to catch them in her mouth.

Haley looked back towards Brooke and laughed when she saw the popcorn on the floor around her best friend. Ever since Haley had known her, Brooke had never been good at that game. Before turning back to the TV she let out a frustrated sigh, knowing she would have to vacuum up the popcorn later. "I hate to admit it Brooke, but I think you might be right. This sucks, Brooke. Where am I going to get the money to pay for this?"

Haley gave up trying to fix her television and flopped down next to Brooke on the couch. It was silent in the small apartment before Brooke broke the silence.

"Well look on the bright side. You might get a hot cable guy to come fix the TV and I'm sure you could work out a deal for payments. And if not I'm sure I could work something out with him," Brooke said with a wink.

It took Haley a second to catch on to the meaning but once she did, she nudged Brooke with her elbow. "Stop being such a perv Brooke. Besides, things like that only happen on television…which I currently do not have. Go figure."



Nathan Scott sat outside the white apartment building in his company truck, reading over the latest report for the electronic he was called in to fix. He stared at the slightly crumpled paper trying to get a head start on what he was going to do to fix this TV. The report didn't say much and he realized that this might be more time consuming than he thought it would be. He glanced over the report one last time before taking the keys out of the ignition and slipping them back into the pocket of his worn jeans.

Nathan got out of the white cable truck, squinting at the brightness of the sun. Averting his eyes downward he watched his scuffed brown work boots glide across the concrete. When he reached the back of his truck he took the keys from his pocket to unlock the side panel on the truck. Inside was his toolbox containing spare wire, wire clippers, a cable connector and as insisted by his boss, the newest flyers about their cable packages. He carefully lifted the red, metal box out of the truck and slammed the panel shut using the end of the box.

As Nathan walked towards the apartment building he pictured the report he had looked at earlier and remembered that he was going up to apartment 213. When he reached the small lobby he looked around for the elevator and noticed it sitting off near the back of the room. He quickly crossed the white tile floor and gave a quick nod to a passing resident. He pressed the 'up' button on the elevator and watched the numbers above the doors light up for each floor it stopped at. When the doors opened he stepped aside to let the people inside the elevator out.

Just as Nathan was going into the elevator he heard a voice calling out behind him and when he turned he saw that it was the girl who had just stepped off of the elevator.

"I don't mean to sound nosy or anything but are you here to fix the cable?" Brooke bit back a smile. She was absolutely certain that he was here to fix Haley's cable. Was she right or what? She knew Haley was going to have a hot cable guy.

"Uh, yeah. Apartment 213. Is that your apartment?" He watched the girl in front of him, clearly puzzled. If she knew he was here to fix the cable, wouldn't that mean that she was the one who had called?

"No, it's my best friends' apartment. I was there when she called your company. Her apartment is the one all the way at the end of the hallway before you turn left. It's pretty easy to find."

"Thank you. I better go and fix the cable. Have a nice day.."

"Brooke. Brooke Davis and you are…"

"Nathan Scott." He remembered the manners his mother had taught him and he reached out to shake her hand.



"Nathan Scott the Cable Guy. Well, I am going to let you get going. Have fun… fixing the cable." Brooke gave him a smile and a wave before turning on her high heeled boot and walking across the tile floor of the lobby. She shook her head with a small smile. Haley was going to have fun with this one.

Nathan turned around to face the elevator, catching it just in time to get in before it closed and he had to wait for it again. The inside of the elevator looked like a smaller version of the lobby, complete with the same tile on the floor and glass covered walls. The panel on the front of the elevator was unlit, waiting for him to push the button for the floor he needed to go to. Nathan reached out and pressed the number '2', the button now glowing a light orange.

The ride up to the second floor did not take long, and within the minute he was stepping off the elevator onto a grey, carpeted floor. He looked down to the end of the hallway and saw the hallway continue around a corner. Assuming the girl he met before, Brooke, was right, he should be going to that last apartment on this part of the hallway. Nathan took the short walk down to the end of the hallway and stood before the wooden door marked with a gold '213'. He raised his fist slightly, and knocked lightly on the door, stepping back afterwards so he would not get hit by the swinging door.

From inside the apartment, Haley heard the knock on he door and was about to sit down her coffee cup but decided against it and took it with her when she went to open the door. She was sure that it was the cable guy but just to be on the safe side, she stood on her tippy-toes and looked out of the eyehole in the center of the door. When she looked out she saw the man holding a red toolbox and assumed that it was the cable guy.

Haley opened the door and stepped to the side to let the man inside. She hadn't realized how tall he was while he was standing outside her door and just to get a clear look at him she had to tilt her head back. As she tilted back she could see the mans features more clearly. The eyehole in the door had distorted the mans features and now Haley could see just how attractive the man was. His dark brown hair was buzzed short making his blue eyes and strong jaw stand out against his tan skin. As Haley's eyes continued their downward path she saw his broad chest and shoulders straining against the plain blue t-shirt he was wearing. His biceps were muscular but not the overly muscular way that someone would have from spending all of their free time at a gym. This man obviously worked out but did not let it consume him.

Haley realized that she had been staring at this man since he had stepped into her apartment and not wanting to embarrass herself further she started to speak. But not before noticing that Brooke had been right, she _had _gotten a hot cable guy.

"Hi, I'm Haley James. Are you here to fix the cable?" She stared up into his mesmerizing baby blues and couldn't help but let her gaze wander down to his mouth as he spoke.

"Nathan Scott. And, yes. I am here to fix the cable. We got the call last night." Nathan watched the petite woman in front of him as she moved to let him walk forward into the apartment. She looked back at him and motioned for him to follow her towards the TV was. As he walked behind her he couldn't help but stare. He started at the bottom, and smiled when he saw her dainty, bare feet sticking out from 

the bottom of too long jeans. He moved up to her legs, and although they were short they were also very shapely and curvy and just plain hot. Nathan knew he was definitely not being a professional but he just couldn't help it. Taking a quick glance upwards he noticed that she was still facing forwards and he figured that a quick peek at the rest of her couldn't hurt. Nathan started where he had previously stopped. Took note of the way her hips swayed as she walked and the roundness of her ass. As to not risk getting too excited he moved his eyes up higher and was treated to the view of the smooth skin of her back every time she took a step and her shirt rode up her back.

"Okay so here is the TV. I would try and tell you what happened but I'm not sure what really happened to it. It kind of just died."

Nathan broke out of his reverie and focused on Haley's face as she attempted to explain the problem He noticed the way she bit her lip a the end of the sentence and cocked her head to the side in confusion. Nathan couldn't help but notice how cute she looked.

"Oh, that's okay. I deal with these kind of things every day. I'm sure it won't be too difficult to figure out. Now before I start, did you ever spill anything on the TV?"

"Not that I know of. I mean, one of my friends could have and God knows Brooke might have but I'm not really sure." Haley shrugged her shoulders.



"Okay, well that's good. As long as nothing was spilled on it, I am almost positive that it can be fixed today. The TV isn't very old is it?"

"No, I bought it when I moved into the apartment about a year and a half ago. It's pretty new."

"That's always a good sign. I'm going to look at this and see if I can figure anything out. I will keep you posted on what I find." Nathan looked back and gave her a reassuring smile and smiled just a little bit bigger when she returned the sentiment.

00

Almost an hour had passed before Nathan finally looked up from the back of the television he had taken apart to examine. He had been so absorbed in the task he was supposed to be doing that he hadn't heard Haley leave the room and he hadn't heard her come back in carrying a drink in each hand.

"So, I wasn't sure what kind of drink you like so I just guessed and brought out some Gatorade. I have two flavors. Take your pick." Haley stood next to him where he was crouched behind the television, holding out the two Gatorades for him to choose from.



Nathan looked at the two choices before reaching for the original lemon-lime flavored Gatorade. He twisted the cap off to the right, raised the bottle to his mouth and took a long sip from the bottle. The taste was refreshing and he didn't realize how much he needed it.

"Thanks. You didn't have to do that. But don't get me wrong, I definitely appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Besides, it's the least I could do. I mean, your fixing my TV. I am definitely grateful." Haley gave him a small smile and the focused on opening the other Gatorade bottle. She took a small sip from the bottle and when she looked back at Nathan, she saw him focusing intensely on her. She blushed, thinking that there was something on her face, and tried to subtly wipe at her face.

For a long moment they stood looking at one another, the silence in the room comfortable even though they were almost complete strangers. Haley saw the way his blue eyes had honed in on her brown eyes and she nervously shifted from one foot to the other. Haley had never been able to relax easily around guys she knew, and had little ability to relax around a guy who she met just an hour earlier. The silence quickly switched to an awkward one. Neither one knew how to break the silence and Nathan settled for telling her the diagnosis of her TV.

"So, the good news is your TV should be easy to fix. It turns out that it was just a disconnected cable. It won't take long at all. I just have to reconnect, or twist it back together. The bad news is that I probably 

won't get to see you again." Nathan smirked at Haley, and the smirk turned into a genuine smile when he saw her eyes light up and a pink blush quickly spread across her cheeks.

"Nathan," Haley started to speak, her tone unsure and irresolute. But before she could continue Nathan was cutting in.

"Look, Haley. I know we just met today but I can tell that you aren't like most girls. And I already know that I like that. You're different, in a good way, and I want to get to know you better. And I guess I understand if you don't feel the same way but…"

"No, it's not that. I just don't get why you would want to get to know me. I mean, look at you! You could probably get any girl you want, and you want to get to know me? I guess I just don't see in myself what you see in me." Haley spoke shyly and hesitantly.

"You're kidding me right? I have only talked to you for a small amount of time today and I can already tell that you have more depth and more heart than any other girl. So you want to know why I want to know you? It's because you're real. You aren't fake like 99.9 of the population. You're just you." Nathan moved closer while talking, intertwining their hands.



Haley looked down at their hands and smiled. Nathan seemed like the honest, hardworking guy Haley had been searching for. He could be the one that she gave into to. "Thanks for saying all that stuff about me Nathan. No one has ever told me anything like that before. Guys always just passed me over for other girls. They never cared about what was on the inside. "

Nathan looked at her, disbelievingly. He couldn't understand why anyone would ever pass someone like Haley over. "Well, those other guys are crazy. You, Haley James, are incredibly gorgeous. I can tell your smart by the diploma you have hanging on your wall and you are very interesting. I could probably listen to you talk all day."

"Really? You could listen to me talk all day? How is that even possible?" Haley took her hand that was not linked together and placed it high up on his chest. She could feel the strong muscles of his chest from her hand placement.

"You bet your hot ass I could listen to you talk all day. I want to know what you are thinking. But I hope you wouldn't mind if I got distracted."

"Distracted by what? There isn't much here to get distracted by."



"Of course there is. If I was listening to you talk then I would subconsciously look at your mouth. And obviously I would get distracted by the way your mouth moved. It would be inevitable." Nathan smirked and placed his hand over top of hers that was resting on his chest. He gave it a quick squeeze before traveling down to her hip and pulling her closer towards him. There was now barely two inches of space between them.

"You would get distracted by my mouth?" Haley questioned him and blushed again when he nodded. "Well then I hope you wouldn't mind if I got distracted by your eyes." Haley said, faking nonchalance.

"Oh really, and why Miss James would you get distracted by my eyes?" Nathan asked. He flexed his hand over her hip and smiled when he saw her blush for the countless time that afternoon.

"Because Mr. Scott, your eyes are just so blue and pretty. I could get lost in them." Haley teased him. "But seriously Nathan, those things are deadly. One look into them and a girl is hooked."

"Funny, that's exactly how I feel about that mouth of yours. I have no doubt that it could do fantastic things. One look at your mouth and I was hooked." Nathan tried to say this with all seriousness but it didn't work. "I'm kidding Haley. As much as I love your mouth, I was hooked when you started to talk. You are just smart. Plain and simple. It kind of turns me on Haley."



"Oh really? So what would you say if I said something like…verisimilitude, diaphanous, transcendent." Haley had leaned up closer to him and Nathan could see her lips moving as she spoke these multi- syllable words. He had no clue what they meant and he would have to look them up later, but right now, if he was being completely honest, his jeans were beginning to feel just a bit tight.

Haley laughed at the 'deer-in-headlights' look Nathan had and laughed. Never would she have thought that a few words could have this affect on a man. It was quite humorous to her. "Would you like to hear some more, Nathan? Because I'm sure I could come up with a few more." Haley winked at him and waited for Nathan to speak.

"To be honest Hales, I don't think I can handle any more of your words. I have reached my limit. But just so you know, the whole 'walking-talking-dictionary' thing is really getting to me."

"Well good, that was my plan."

Nathan walked over to the sofa, pulling Haley along with him. He sat down in the middle of the sofa and Haley sat closely next to him and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So Hales, tell me more about this plan of yours."



"Well, I figured that if I got you worked up enough, you would want to see what else I could do. And if I hold out on that for a little bit longer, then you would have no choice but to stay. It's pretty genius if I say so myself."

"That it is. And I have to say Haley, it is working quite well. I am definitely staying. You will have serious problems getting me to leave."

"Well maybe I don't want you to leave. I think I like you right where you are." Haley smiled at him and let out a loud laugh when he pulled her from the sofa and onto his lap.

"I agree Hales. I like you right where you are too. "

"Well good. Because even if you didn't like it I wouldn't be moving anytime soon. You are just too cozy." Haley proved her point by snuggling into his chest, as far as their seating arrangement would allow.

"You wouldn't hear any objections from me." Nathan looked down at Haley and waited for her to look up. He reveled in the look she was giving him. He knew that they had only just met but Nathan couldn't help but to think that they felt right. He might not have been the smartest guy around but he could tell a good thing when he saw it. Nathan wasn't go to let her slip from his grasp.



The room was quiet and still. Both just staring, an unwavering gaze towards the other. Haley broke the stare first, letting her head fall against his shoulder, resting for a moment, and slowly bringing her head back up. Nathan reached out to push back the stray hair that had fallen in her face. He brushed his fingers against her smooth skin, his touch lingered. He could feel his heart racing and knew what he needed to do. Nathan leaned in, becoming closer and closer to her. Haley could not wait though, and without thinking, pressed her lips against his.

The force from the kiss sent Nathan backwards on the couch with Haley sprawled out on top of him. Their kiss did not stop but instead became stronger. Haley angled her head to deepen the kiss and bit down on Nathans bottom lip. Nathan let out a quiet moan and Haley took the opportunity to slip her tongue inside his mouth. Nathan, tired of being passive, sat up quickly all while still kissing Haley. He picked her up and resituated until she was lying beneath him.

Nathan pulled back and waited for Haley to open her eyes. A moment later, her long lashes fluttered against her smooth skin and he saw her eyes open to reveal her brown eyes, swirling with lust. Haley focused her gaze and Nathan could read the confusion on her face.

"Just relax Hales." Instead of diving back in as they were before, he slowed down, wanting to savor the moment. Nathan placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then her nose, and a chaste kiss landed on her lips before he continued down the curve of her jaw and onto the expanse of her neck.



Haley released a soft sigh as Nathan placed kisses along her neck. When he moved to the place behind her ear, all was lost. She was tired of taking it slow and would use force, if necessary, to get Nathan to speed up. She placed her hands on either side of his head to direct him upwards. As much as she loved what he was doing now, she wanted more. Using the grip she had on his head, Haley was able to get him to deepen the kiss.

Nathan let one of his hands fall to the hem of her shirt. He gently stroked the skin just underneath the shirt for a moment before upping the game and slowly raising his hand under her shirt. When he was high enough to feel the lace of her bra he looked up to see Haley's reaction. Her eyes were open and when she spoke her voice was deep and husky.

"Take it off Nathan. Please." Nathan needed no further persuasion. He pulled the one hand from her shirt and let both drop to the hem of her shirt. In one swift move he had the shirt off of her and on the floor. Haley had Nathans shirt off shortly after.

Haley let her hands run up and down the smooth planes of Nathans back while her feet traveled up the back of his legs. She could feel every part of his firm, muscular body. Haley wanted to feel more of him and took the hand that had stopped on his lower back and placed it on his ass. She gave him a quick squeeze. Nathan pulled back from her, a wide smirk on his face.

"You feel really good Nathan." Haley whispered.

"So do you Hales." Nathan continued to explore her body and tentatively reached up to cup her firm breasts with his large hands. He smirked again; she was definitely more than a handful. He let his hands rest for a moment before circling around her erect nipples with his thumbs. He could hear her breathing become faster and hesitated for just a moment before leaning down and sucking a nipple into his mouth, lace fabric and all.

Nathan looked up at her flushed face and was immensely pleased that she was enjoying herself. He did not want to push things to far when they had just met. Haley let one of her own hands fall between them and she unclasped her bra, leaving Nathan completely surprised.

"Haley are you sure? I don't want to go too fast. I don't want to push you." Nathan new it would be hard to stop but he would if he had too. He did not want to make her do something she didn't want to.

"Yes. Nathan I know we just met, but this feels right. And I'm not saying we have to go all the way, but it seems like I just can't control myself around you. You make me feel alive."

Nathan smiled and slowly let his gaze wander south. He nearly swallowed his tongue. He had slept with more girls than most and being one-hundred percent honest with himself, Haley had the most amazing chest he had ever seen. It was better than what he could have imagined. Haley watched him, feeling somewhat unself-conscious, but completely safe. She knew that Nathan was sincere and judging by the 

look on his face, and other prominent parts of his body, he definitely was not disappointed. Nathan pushed one step further and raised his hand to cover one breast. Just as his hand fully enveloped her, the front door of the apartment came swinging open. Nathan pulled his hand back and pulled Haley up to sit against him. He didn't care who was at the door, they would not be seeing Haley half-naked.

"Hales! You have to come see what I got at the mall today. It is so….." Brooke ran into the living room, shopping bags in tow. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the half naked couple on the couch. "Hot. Well hello there. Having fun Hales?"

Haley was bright red with embarrassment. Sure she always caught Brooke in compromising positions but never the other way around. This was a first for her.

"Well, I can take a hint when I am not welcome and unless you two are considering a threesome, I am going to head on back to my own place. Oh and Hales, you better call me later." Brooke gave the couple a final glance as she walked out of the door smiling to herself.

Nathan, seeing Haley's embarrassment, leaned over the edge of the couch to grab her shirt from the ground. She quickly re-clasped her bra and slipped the shirt on over top. There was silence for a moment, neither knowing how to start. They looked at each other before giving into the laughter. They would have to be crazy to not find this funny.



"You know, I feel like I am doing this a little late." Haley had calmed down enough to speak.

"What do you mean?" Nathan reached down for his shirt but did not put it back on yet.

"Well I never got caught in a compromising position in high school but I do now. I guess I am a little slow on the uptake."

"You know, I feel like I am back in high school too." Haley gave him a look that told him to continue. "I haven't had this major of a hard-on since ninth grade."

Haley looked shocked for a moment, surprised that he would openly admit that sort of thing. She was speechless.

"Might want close your mouth Hales. You are giving me _very_ inappropriate thoughts." Nathan smirked at her, used his index finger to urge her chin upwards, and winked. "But hey, I'm not complaining. Do whatever you need to do. _You can turn me on anyway you like._"


End file.
